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The author assesses the military space challenges that face the Air Force and the nation in light of the findings and recommendations of the congressionally mandated Space Commission, released in January 2001. After reviewing the main milestones in the Air Force's involvement in space since its creation as an independent service in 1947, he examines the circumstances that occasioned the Space Commission's creation, as well as the conceptual and organizational roadblocks that have impeded a more rapid growth of U.S. military space capability. He concludes that the Air Force faces five basic challenges with respect to space: continuing the operational integration of space with the three terrestrial warfighting mediums while ensuring the organizational differentiation of space from Air Force air; effectively wielding its newly granted military space executive-agent status; realizing a transparent DoD-wide budget category for space; showing progress toward fielding a meaningful space control capability while decoupling that progress from any perceived taint of force-application involvement; and making further progress toward developing and nurturing a cadre of skilled space professionals within the Air Force.

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The research reported here was sponsored by the United States Air Force.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation monograph report series. The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.

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Lambeth, Benjamin S., Mastering the Ultimate High Ground: Next Steps in the Military Uses of Space. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2003. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1649.html. Also available in print form.

Lambeth, Benjamin S., Mastering the Ultimate High Ground: Next Steps in the Military Uses of Space, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, MR-1649-AF, 2003. As of December 12, 2018: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1649.html

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